By Martha Rose Shulman
- Total Time
- 2 hours 15 minutes
- Rating
- 4(530)
- Notes
- Read community notes
If you don’t want to make a crust but want something tartlike for your Thanksgiving dessert, a clafoutis, which is something like a cross between a flan and a pancake, is a great choice. It’s a very easy dessert, yet it’s always impressive.
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Ingredients
Yield:8 servings
- 2tablespoons pear eau-de-vie or liqueur (optional)
- 2tablespoons mild-flavored honey, like clover
- 2pounds ripe but firm pears, like Bartlett or Comice
- 3large eggs
- 1vanilla bean, scraped
- ⅓cup sugar
- ⅔cup sifted unbleached white flour
- ½cup plain yogurt
- ½cup milk
- Pinch of salt
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)
213 calories; 3 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 1 gram monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 42 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 27 grams sugars; 5 grams protein; 61 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Step
1
Combine the pear eau-de-vie and the honey in a bowl. Peel, core and slice the pears and toss with the mixture. Let sit for 30 minutes.
Step
2
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 10-inch ceramic tart pan or baking dish.
Step
3
In the bowl of an electric mixer or with a whisk, beat together the eggs, the seeds from the vanilla bean and the sugar. Pour off the marinade from the pears and add to the egg mixture. Gradually beat in the flour, then beat in the yogurt, milk and salt.
Step
4
Arrange the pears in the baking dish. Pour on the batter. Place in the oven and bake 40 to 50 minutes, until the top is beginning to brown. Serve hot or warm.
Tip
- Advance preparation: Although this is best served warm, you can allow it to cool completely and serve it at room temperature. It will hold for several hours out of the refrigerator. Leftovers make a nice breakfast treat.
Ratings
4
out of 5
530
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Cooking Notes
Audrey
I have made this recipe several times with the half cup yogurt and half cup milk and once with milk alone. It is much better with the yogurt. The yogurt does not affect the flavor, but it does improve the texture. I used pear brandy from St. George's Spirits.
Meg
very good. I substituted pomegranate molasses for the honey and added a bit of ground ginger as well. the sharpness of the ginger really made this dish stand out, and brought more complexity to its lightness.
M
Ground ginger, almond flour, sliced almonds on top made this terrific
Greg
I love clafoutis, and the basics here are fine, but I think that I prefer a classic all-milk recipe over including yogurt as is suggested here. Yogurt feels like a distraction from the main fruit and egg flavors.
Sibyl E
Try this. It is a simple, elegant and satisfying cool-weather treat. I have made this recipe twice, both times in a 12” cast iron skillet that was pre-heated in the 375-degree oven with the butter for 10 minutes. It has been lovely each time. I substituted brandy for eau de vie and added 1/8 t of ground cardamom and a pinch of saffron to the pears at the beginning of the mace ration time.
Bobby
Great recipe. Adding about 1/2 to of lemon zest brightens it a bit
Marcel
Delicious. I used amaretto to marinate the pears (Comice).
Raven
I had the same thought! Alas, I'd used up my amaretto. So I used Frangelico (hazelnut liqueur), Comice pears, and substituted almond milk for half of the regular milk (i.e. 1/4 cup each). The nuttiness is super subtle. I actually wish there was a little more complexity to this recipe... I'll try nutmeg next time. But amazing texture and presentation for such a simple recipe! I'd let sit for at least 10 min before serving; the pears retain a lot of heat.
Maria
I was brave enough to make this with half&half (didnt have any milk) and whey left from yogurt straining (needed to use it). To my surprise the result is amazing. It's a bit jelly-like which is great in my opinion.
Amber
Other than peeling and cutting the fruit, this was super fast to make. Cut back on the sugar by a third and I didn’t miss it.
Katy
This might be the most delicious clafoutis I've ever made
Beth
Soooo good. Used rum and way less sugar but a little crunchy raw sugar on the top (added once solidified) and quick broil at the end
zoë
Have been making this recipe for years, with and without brandy, with maple syrup instead of honey while away at a cabin, with all milk and an extra egg yolk, with peaches or apples instead of pears… never disappoints, very forgiving and flexible, and doesn’t last more than a day (especially if you have company).
Robin
I love clafoutis and have played with various recipes over the years. This one gives a loftier, more custardy result than my go-to cherry versions - partly down to the peeled pears, which are bulkier and meld together beautifully with the batter. So while I don't think it's appropriate to compare the two styles head-to-head, I can say that this recipe is INCREDIBLE and I will certainly make it again.
Angelo
I love all the variations provided in the comments. I will certainly make this clafoutis again. I used cointreau, strawberry yogurt and half and half, because it's what I had. Turned out great.
KMc
Delicious. I made this at the last minute and skipped the alcohol, used almond milk and vanilla greek yogurt and it was still wonderful. Next time I will try with the alcohol for some added flavor.
Cate
We have made many variations of this with: kiwi, raspberries, apricots, cherries, and figs. Surprisingly, the fig one was not that great. Apricot is probably one of my favorites for summer. We've also used less sugar in making this and relied on the sweetness of the fruit. Try different variations to find the fruit that works for your tastebuds.
Connie
This dessert was delicious but it needs both some additional color and a bit of tartness to counteract all that sweetness. I tried blueberries and it was the perfect compliment.
katie russo
I used Marsala and a beautiful Aussie honey in the marinade and subbed in GF flour. It turned out beautifully!
Gyro Rachel
To make this gluten and dairy free we substituted gluten-free flour, then used cashew creme in place of the yogurt, and almond milk. And a lovely port for the liqueur. The texture turned out almost custardy but it was delicious.
deborah
Lovely - mixed the batter in a blender (thanks Martha Stewart) - a quick, light and tender dessert using very ripe Bosc pears.
My note
Subbed regular brandy, 1 tsp vanilla extract, and 1/2 cup Siggi full fat yogurt, as that was what I had. Really liked it, but will add a little spice next time.
krelco
This was just OK, and I feel I did something wrong. It may have been subbing almond flour, on the recommendation of a reviewer, and it came out tasting grainy. The pears might not have been that good -- Bartlett, ripe but not mushy. Not sure where I fell short!
Sylvia
Okay to use d'anjou pears?
Sharyn
I halved the recipe and we agreed it was a delight. Pears made the dish delicate and deliciously moist. I substituted gluten free flour which worked very well.
Ellie Kostic
I used cooking Sherry instead of fancy liquor, w extra vanilla, bc it did not require an extra trip to the store. The result- fantastic, w a little vanilla ice cream!
Lynn Feinson
Hello. How many pears, approximately?
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